The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-06-11
In Search of q Wife.
Mary Sidney, IN Farm journal.

II nor r-1naPPfOpr1aIe SUBJECT IOT the
Household Department of the Farm
Journal, but my readers are not confin-
ed alone to women. l Ireceive numbers
of letters from men-quite as many as
from women-giving me words of en-
couragement, and sometimes of rebuke.
all of which are gratefully received
One of the last, that has made an i'm
preston on me during the. few months
in which I have been taking holiday
from the quill, was penned by young
man in distant city, consulting me as
to a change of business he proposes,
and also confessing that he "wants a
wife; one of the kind who will 'bear
washing ; or, as you say in the March
number, one 'who goes" The young
man is turning his attention towards
agriculture, proposes to leave the crowd
ed business of the city, and make the
country his home. Let us be thankful
there is one setting his head towards
the places made vacant by the many
who are constantly streaming into cities.
Let us rejoice, also, that he wishes to
marry one who will be likely 60 be
suited and happy in the home he hopes
to provide. He says of his own city !:
"The girls are too frail and inexperi-
enced to live in the country, even sup
posing they desired to do SO, though
most of them, owing to their false ideas,
would almost as soon 60 to prison as to
the country, and as for the country girls,
hereabouts, I think traces of frontier
mode of life are still plainly visible in
their manners"
What my young friend seems to want
is a cultivated and refined country girl
to share his home, and he finds them
scarce in his own locality. He writes :
"While do not directly commission
you to select one, desire you to help
to do So" Well, I would be delight
ed to help put this young man on the
highway to happiness, but am powerless;
my hands hang limp, and my very bones
cry out, "Here shall thy proud waves
be stayed" l seem to have fought the
good fight, and closed out my entire in
terest in the match making business
when tied my own hymenial knot
Genuine love is the only thing I know
of that can sanction matrimony, and
that is commodity that, like the wind,
"bloweth where it listeth, and thou
canst not tell whence it cometh and
whittier it goeth." My young friend
has never had bad spell of it, or he
wouldn't ask any interference. The
male head ofthe Sidney household, who
likes to put in word when he gets a
small chance, says: "Tell him he
don't z0ant a wife till he sees one he
must have or die.'A When a person is
in love he feels very wise; he knows
about all there is that is worth knowing.
There wouldn't be a particle of use in
telling young farmer that if he marries
that city girl he is after she will never be
contented on the farm, but will soon
let down the bars and turn him into
fresh pasture. He wouldn't say much,
perhaps-they don't-but he'd do a
deal of thinking. "Guess know that
sweet little angel better than ynu do |:
guess she'll be satisfied anywhere where
1 am" And just as useless would it be
to try to convince cultured and studl-
Gus gentleman that the rose would fade
from his sweetheart's cheek, her attrac-
tive girlish vivacity would depart, and
he would be miserable bankrupt when
he walked up to find there was nothing
left but dry bones. He'd risk the "dry
bones;;" guess she's as intelligent and
industrious as other folks. Guess-work
is as good as any, when it hits; but it
is accidental, if love-sick person
makes it hit. And SO the unequal yok-
ing goes on. I often think could Sc
lect for many people good bit better
than they do for themselves, but |
wouldn't like to risk it for all. Though
not coward, generally, 1 would fear
to assist in any way in the matrimonial
projects of another, lest, when the pot
began to holland it will simmer a lit
tie, in the best regulated families
Mary Sidney's ears would burn, and
she would catch doubtful blessing for
her busy helping hand, and so the CIV
ing of few general principles is about
ali woman may do towards helping
Young man in the search for wife.
1t speaks well for my young friend
that he does not want to take out to the
country one he knows will not be in a
congenial element there. 1t indicates
a sounder mind than many have whom
I can count, who have married city and
village girls and taken them to pine
away and bemoan their hard lot on a
farm. There are plenty of country
girls, any one of whom would be worth
a score of city butterflies, as the mis-.
tress of a farm house. 1t would be a
great incentive for country girls to cul,
tivate their minds and make themselves
ornaments for any station in life, if they
knew men demanded it of them. "Ask.
and it shall be given you," gentlemen,
If it is white hands, fine clothes ano
sickly bodies you wish, they, too, car
be supplied in unlimited numbers, i
you continue to shower your choices
favors on that sort. If men in search
of wives would adopt the rule of the
Vicar of Wakefield, and pick those
qualities that will wear we'll, those arr
the attributes girls would take mos
pride in fostering. Whatever marke
you create you can depend on the girl
for supplying. But let no young farm
er think he can better his situation b.
turning his back on the country girls
They have turned up trumps in thou
sands of places they have been tn
mothers of our greatest men all alon